Jose Mourinho has been charged by the English Football Association for comments he made after Manchester United’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win against Newcastle United on Oct. 6.
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After the full time whistle blew, Mourinho was shown on TV cameras walking down the touchline and towards the tunnel at Old Trafford.
It was then that he appeared to shout several expletives in Portuguese as well as making a bizarre hand gesture with his little finger.
Below is the statement from the FA.
“It is alleged that his language at the end of the fixture, as captured by the broadcast footage, was abusive and/or insulting and/or improper. He has until 6pm on October 19 to respond to the charge.”
Mourinho could received a fine or a potential touchline ban if he’s found guilty by the FA, and this isn’t the first time the current United manager has been in trouble with the FA.
He has received multiple touchline bans and heavy fines in the past for his behavior on the sidelines.
Yet, there may be some sympathy towards Mourinho for his comments after this game as he was under intense pressure due to reports on the eve of the win against Newcastle stating he would be fired that weekend no matter what the result against the Magpies.
But even after United’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season and the pressure that has put on Mourinho’s shoulders, that doesn’t excuse what he said, if lip-reading experts are to be believed, and he will likely be banned from the touchline if he accepts the charge and is found guilty.
Mourinho believes there is a “man hunt” for him and his players and this feeds into that narrative quite nicely.
He is a master at building a siege mentality and it appears he has put himself on the line to try and do that once again.
Yet the master of mind games may not have been thinking straight in this instance, with pure relief likely the main reason behind his bizarre outburst.